KNICKERS, I Love, Love, LOVE You!
by RevSue
Summary: After Christmas Eve, a little help from Max, not to mention Eloise and their own inclinations, encourages Nanny & Wilkes to commit to a relationship.


_WARNING: The rating of T is not just for TEEN – it's also for terribly, terribly, terribly romantic.... and there are some places where it is to be hoped you are at least in your LATE teens....._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters since the Eloise movies and the characters are the property of Disney and Kay Thompson. I make no money from this work of fiction!_

"Nanny?"

"Yes, love?" Nanny paused on her way out of Eloise's room. It was Christmas Eve and past time for the child to be asleep, because as usual she had had a rawther full day! Kay was out in the living room visiting with Sir Wilkes, having already said her good-nights to her daughter. A still-embarrassed Nanny had taken the chance to escape the rawther uncomfortable atmosphere between herself and Sir Wilkes by insisting she had to kiss Eloise goodnight as well. She was not looking forward to returning to the living room, but she wasn't sure answering Eloise's questions would be much better. She was right.

"What would happen to me if you married Sir Wilkes?" the child questioned curiously.

Nanny almost lost her breath in her surprise at the question out of the blue. She tried to remain calm. After all, Eloise had seen the kiss on the cheek she had given Sir Wilkes under the Christmas tree that very evening. "Aoww, Eloise, you must know that's not going to happen, for Lord's sake!"

"Well, he DID say he was going to kiss you properly sometime so you would know what it was like to kiss someone who had a moustache, and I just figured that if you're gonna start KISSING, then you'll probably get married."

Nanny struggled to contain her blush. Eloise was a child, for Lord's sake! What did she know of kissing or marriage... or stations in life... Nanny unwillingly recalled the conversation Eloise had had with Sir Wilkes on the elevator on the way back to their rooms just over an hour ago. Sir Wilkes had rawther quickly picked up on Eloise's hint that Nanny wouldn't know what it was like to be kissed by a man with a moustache unless he kissed her PROPERLY. He had squatted down beside the little girl and had asked, "But tell me, Eloise, what if the lady does not, you know... truly desire such an experience?"

Naturally Eloise had had an answer... an answer that had made Nanny cringe. "Oh, Nanny DOES want to kiss you, I know! I guess you could ask her, though, if YOU aren't sure. But please, Sir Wilkes, wait until I can't see you. I think it's absolutely disgusting to watch, even if it DOES feel good to the kissers!"

"Oh, you may be absolutely certain I shall wait until Nanny and I are completely alone..." Wilkes had smiled at the child, then had looked up at a mortified Nanny, slowly had raised his eyebrow and had allowed his smile to broaden at her horrified reaction.

"Nanny? Nanny?" Eloise now broke into Nanny's reverie, startling her. She focussed again on the child who was saying, "What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about kissing Sir Wilkes? Are you thinking about MARRYING him? What WILL I do if you marry him?"

"That's enough, Eloise." Nanny said wearily. It was all too, too, too much to think about!

"But..."

"Eloise, I don't want to hear another word! Now, settle down and go to sleep, sleep, sleep! Your mother is almost ready for bed herself now, Sir Wilkes will be leaving, and we all need to be asleep soon, soon, soon so Santa Claus can come!"

The little girl sighed. "Yes, Nanny." she said obediently. As Nanny was closing the doors to Eloise's room, the little girl's whisper reached her. "I love you, Nanny."

"I love you, too, pet," Nanny said softly, very thankful indeed that Kay had made it home tonight after all, or Eloise's Christmas would have been absolutely terrible!

"As much as you love Sir Wilkes?"

Eloise's laughing comment had Nanny's head come up in an instant, her eyes flashing fire. She did not dare look to make sure Sir Wilkes hadn't overheard Eloise, but hearing the murmur of low voices behind her, she assumed he hadn't. "ELOISE!" she said sternly, and firmly closed the bedroom door. Honestly, that child!

Nanny mumbled irritably under her breath as she rejoined the other two, but her irritation quite erased her shyness with the man, and when Kay excused herself shortly thereafter, Nanny quite willingly stood up with Sir Wilkes to see him to the door.

He drew Nanny out into the hallway on the pretext of giving her a Christmas present. "Although I must apologize because I could not find anything worthy of you, Nanny. But, if you will permit my, you know, audacity, I DID promise Eloise that I would kiss you properly, so you can tell her what it is like to kiss a man with a moustache," he whispered before drawing her unresisting body closer to his.

His kiss started out little more than a tender sampling or gentle exploring of a woman who had slowly but surely been driving him insane with desire for her uncommon enthusiasm for life as if everything fascinated her. He had vaguely hoped she would be amenable to a kiss or two, and he could have no doubt of that with the voraciousness of her response, which was immediate and wildly abandoned... as he might have expected from Nanny. Without forewarning, the kiss suddenly exploded into something much more powerful and demanding.

With a ardour he had forgotten he could possess, Wilkes cupped her face in his hands and angled her head so he could press his mouth more firmly against hers, exerting pressure to open her lips for him to deepen the kiss. He could feel her heart pounding in tempo with his as he brushed his moustache over her mouth with a throaty chuckle which died as she moaned and pressed closer. Forgetting everything but the delicious mouth he was sampling, he continued his onslaught, each kiss became more deeply passionate than the last.

Her arms slipped around him to do some imprisoning of her own with a kind of frantic desperation born of stolen moments. It was a maelstrom of heat and longing, frustration and inexperience united in passion's sweet need. Time and place held no meaning in that erotic storm. Until he had begun kissing Nanny, Wilkes had forgotten the joys of pure lust, the heightened senses, the driving force... the incredible, magnificent pleasure of loving a woman.

His moustache at first tickled her, then Nanny never thought about it again because the flood of sensations that coursed through her was so strong that it filled her soul and caught her up in a spinning vortex of re-awakened desires. It had been so long since her body had responded to a passionate kiss that she had forgotten just how powerful such inner emotions could be. Dimly she knew there would be consequences to face if she allowed this kiss to progress much further. She knew that if she dared to become any more involved with Sir Wilkes than she already was, she was most certainly heading for another devastating heartbreak. Even while his hands were roaming the curves of her shoulders and back and venturing to her sides very close to the swells of her breasts, she trembled because it had been years since she had let a man's kisses affect her like this, since she had let a man's hands roam her body like this.... since her own hands had convulsively explored _his_ muscled form.

It was the painful realization that one day Sir Wilkes would come to his senses and repudiate her with the same intensity he was now kissing her that finally gave Nanny the fortitude required to pull away and place a restraining albeit trembling hand between them. They were from two very different stations in life. He could never marry her and she could not offer him her heart-felt love only to have it disdained. She could not endure that anguish ever again. "M-merry Christmas, Willy..." she murmured shakily before slipping back into her room and firmly closing the door.

Leaning against the door and trying to catch her breath, Nanny put her hand to her lips. He had KISSED her! More than once! She trembled still with the passion that had swept through her body, heating every part. It was then that she realized how raw and abraded the skin around her mouth was... how it had actually stung to speak... Despite how soft it looked to be, the moustache had almost hurt as he had dragged it across her lips! Still, despite the inconveniences, she had to admit that his kisses left nothing to be desired, moustache or no moustache!

Nanny went about her evening ablutions, and finally settled into bed, only to find herself reliving the wonderfully passionate kisses, then hearing again the shrill voice in her mind. "If you kiss Sir Wilkes...if you marry Sir Wilkes ... you love Sir Wilkes..."

"Aww, KNICKERS!" was her exasperated snort two hours later when she still had not fallen asleep.

O o O o O o O o

"Everyone is saying that Sir Wilkes is nursing a broken heart, Maman," Eloise said a couple of days later. "It happened absolutely ages ago, of course, when he was a young man. Did you know that, Nanny? That Sir Wilkes has a broken heart, too?"

"Oh?" Nanny said, not lifting her eyes from her book although the words had blurred the moment Eloise had mentioned his name. She fought to keep the tremble she felt in the pit of her stomach from showing in her hands. It had been two days since their encounter, and she still found herself reacting violently to the fiery desire Sir Wilkes had drawn from her with his kisses. Naturally she had not said a word to Eloise about kissing him, despite Eloise's numerous very broad hints and questions, not to mention the sore skin of her face around her lips!

"A broken heart? How sad!" Kay said softly. "The poor man."

"Yes. It's absolutely awful," Eloise agreed. "We have to be especially nice to him because of that, you know. That's what Nanny said about Philip and HIS broken heart, so I expect it's the same with Sir Wilkes, isn't it, Nanny?"

"Hmmmm." Nanny said. Then, rawther proud of herself for sounding so normal, she added, "You have the biggest heart I know, love, but you must, must, MUST learn that you can't fix everything!"

"But we absolutely can't give UP, can we, Nanny? If he let you, I'm sure YOU could fix Sir Wilkes' broken heart!"

Nanny instantly felt panic sweep over her. Eloise must NEVER suspect her desire to do that very thing! "No! No! No! It's not my place, Eloise. I've told you that many times. He's above my station!" Nanny didn't dare look at Kay.

"Oh, Nanny...."

"Eloise, I don't want to hear any more about it!" Nanny couldn't stand to talk about it any more, she wanted him so desperately! Knickers, she simply must, must, MUST get over this infatuation!

"But Nanny...!"

"Eloise?" Nanny's voice was stern. "I want you to pinky promise, promise, promise that you won't meddle! Not in this case! It simply isn't right!"

Sulkily the child agreed. There was silence, and Nanny had almost relaxed when Eloise had another question for her... unfortunately along the same theme. "When do you think Sir Wilkes will try kissing you properly, Nanny?"

"Oh, I really couldn't say..." Nanny said tightly, still staring blankly at her book.

"He might want to wait until that rash has cleared up around your mouth. I don't know where that came from! You didn't have it a couple of days ago," Eloise said, and Nanny jerked a little, clenching her hands around her book when she heard Kay's chuckle. Then Eloise was speaking again to Kay. "Maman, have you ever kissed someone with a moustache?"

"No, I can't say that I have," Kay said in a queer, choked voice.

Nanny peered at her suspiciously to see that Kay's eyes were dancing with laughter. She dropped her own eyes again to the book she would probably never finish now.

"I guess I'm just going to have to wait until I grow up. Maybe I won't mind kisses then. Grownups don't seem to mind them. I can kiss Sir Wilkes myself." Eloise sighed.

"Or someone closer to your own age," Kay laughed her silvery laugh, and Eloise grinned and, to Nanny's relief, began to talk to Kay about the present she had got from Leon, the young prince, and how she might not mind kissing HIM, with or without a moustache, when they were terribly, terribly, terribly old!

Nanny, as had happened so often in the hours since Christmas Eve, drifted off in her reveries of kissing Willy.... it had been absolutely divine, divine, divine, but she must guard herself somehow against hoping he would repeat the experience!

O o O o O o

Three days after Christmas, Eloise's machinations to get Nanny and Sir Wilkes closer together had an unexpected boost from a hitherto unknown ally. Max had already noticed the attraction between the two that each tried valiantly to hide from everyone including the other. Having been privy to the conversation on the way back up to the sixteenth floor on Christmas Eve about kissing men with a moustache, he had tried to figure out what HE could do to further the romance between the two long-time residents of the Plaza. He had finally decided on a plan, hoping he wouldn't get into too much trouble for it but quite sure his interference would not be discovered if all worked well. It was going to be quite difficult to execute, as it entailed a number of necessary factors being present at one time, but he would be ready when the fates so decreed. This afternoon, it seemed that all was propitious.

Max was on duty, it was not a very busy time in the hotel, Nanny returning from a walk with Weenie, Sir Wilkes on his way home and a stranger going to the seventh floor were the only ones on the elevator and Max had the key for the emergency stop lock for the elevator in his pocket. Max stood staring straight ahead at the panel, fingering the key in his pocket. The panels with the emergency stop buttons were below the Up and Down buttons on every floor by the bank of elevators. Once they were at the seventh floor, Max just had to get off the elevator, have the doors close so the elevator would continue going up with Nanny and Sir Wilkes in it, then open the panel and activate the Emergency Stop with his key.

Taking a breath, Max ran over the procedure in his mind, now convinced it should work. He wished there was some way he could take Weenie out with him, but decided maybe the couple needed a chaperone anyway. Then he remembered to put the heater on high, thereby guaranteeing that Nanny and Sir Wilkes would undoubtedly have to remove their coats. Max smothered his grin and readied himself.

When the man got off on the seventh floor, Max waited until he had disappeared down the corridor before pressing the 'Doors Close' button. Then, with only a muttered apology to the two standing in the back of the elevator, he slipped out of the elevator between the closing doors just before they shut tightly. Hurriedly he opened the panel by the elevator, and inserted the key in the emergency stop slot, and turned it. He watched the light go on for the eighth floor, then heard the mechanism shutting down after a grinding noise which he assumed was the elevator stopping between floors. A grin crossed his face, and after raising his fist in a triumphant gesture, he headed down the stairs jauntily. Now it was up to Nanny and Sir Wilkes. HE was going to the control panel in the basement to monitor the elevator's location and make sure no one 'rescued' the pair prematurely!

Once there, he checked the panel and saw by the flashing red light that the elevator was indeed between floors. He activated the intercom. "Nanny? Sir Wilkes? Max here. Just wanted to let you know that you'll have to relax. It's gonna be about an hour, I'm afraid, before we can get the elevator going again. If you need me, just call on the intercom... push the red button near the bottom of the panel...."

"Th-thank you, Max," Sir Wilkes' voice came over the intercom.

Hearing Nanny muttering, "Oh, for Lord's sake, why did the elevator start acting up now, now, NOW?", Max grinned, flipped the switch off and leaned back in a chair, putting his feet up on the wall and his hands behind his head. If Sir Wilkes acted the way he, Max, expected him to, Nanny would be kissed in the near future and would be able to say whether or not she liked men with a moustache! Max momentarily wished he would hear the answer... it might be information he could use sometime should he ever get the urge to grow his OWN moustache!

O o O o O o

"I.... suppose you heard Max..." Wilkes muttered, and wiped his face with his handkerchief. "It is getting very, you know, warm in here, don't you think?"

"Oh yes, quite ... quite." Nanny held her purse and Weenie's leash tightly in one handand fanned herself with the other. "Aoww, knickers!" she muttered at last, and carefully set her purse down in the corner. "Weenie, don't touch!" she admonished the dog, who sighed then curled into the corner and put his head down, closing his eyes as if to say he was just going to leave them while he got a rest. Nanny thankfully slipped out of her winter coat and folded it before placing it on the floor. "I suppose we might as well sit..."

"Allow me," Wilkes said quickly, taking her hand as she was starting to lower herself.

Nanny jerked a little at his touch, and straightened up abruptly. Wilkes blushed. "I suppose I have made a.... a dreadful blunder. Do forgive me, Nanny. I only thought to assist you..."

Blushing herself, Nanny nodded. "I... I know... I suppose I could stand for a while, anyway..." Not meeting his eyes, she nervously smoothed her hands down her sides to her hips to dry off her sweaty palms, the movement pulling the soft cotton of her blouse snugly over her breasts.

Wilkes swallowed hard and tried not to notice.... but he was male and alive, so he noticed. He looked avidly for a moment, then resolutely turned his gaze away and swallowed again. Busying himself with removing his own coat, he then asked the first question that crossed his mind, "I was wondering, Nanny, how it is that you have never kissed a man with a moustache before. It's not as if you've never been kissed, I'm certain, and so many men nowadays DO have whiskers!"

Nanny stared at him. Had he just insulted her? Or was he truly curious? Either way, she had no intentions of giving him any satisfaction. "I expect that my past life and my, er, experience... is something that is for me to know and you to find out. And there's only one sure way for THAT to happen! You do realize that, don't you, Sir Wilkes?"

It was either the sultry way she said it, or the blatant dare implicit in those words, but Wilkes cursed his own stupidity under his breath, then did what he had wanted to do again since Christmas Eve when he had first kissed her. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "I suppose that if you have dared me to find out about your experience, I should, you know, find out!"

Nanny's heartbeat stuttered, then raced. Her hands pressed against the lapels of his jacket and just as quickly pulled away. She had no right to touch him! And how COULD she have said what she had, for all intents and purposes DARING him to kiss her again? "Aoww! I must, must, MUST apolog...!"

"Too late," he interrupted her huskily and pressed his mouth against hers slowly at first, parting her lips and groaning his satisfaction.

His hands fastened on either side of her head so she absolutely had to accept his kiss, whether she really wanted it or not. But, aoww, knickers, she DID want it, for sure, sure, sure! Suddenly Nanny's resistance weakened, then vanished. If Eloise's tale was to be believed, the man had been alone for years, possibly thinking he had no other choice after his disappointment in love as a young man, but now Nanny was determined to show him that a broken heart did not necessarily mean his life had to be over! She was convinced she could put love and laughter back in his life permanently... if he would just allow her to show him, for Lord's sake!

"You taste so good," he said against her lips.

"My stars, stars, stars..." Nanny returned breathlessly, "Aoww, so do you!" He tasted of peppermint and a hint of coffee... then even the slightest hint of objectivity was beyond her. She felt the vibration of a warm laugh in his chest, but she didn't need his arm to press her closer, because there WAS no closer. His breath was her breath, his pulse was her pulse. He kissed her with a hungry, bruising intensity and the force of her response made her tremble.

There was a faint roughness to his cheeks and his moustache tickled as his lips skimmed over the skin of her face. "Just on the offchance you haven't told Eloise what it feels like to be properly kissed by a man with a moustache," he murmured, faint amusement colouring his words. Then he concentrated again on her mouth. More heat shot through her body and she choked out a cry, not of pain but in fear of him stopping. There was nothing about him that didn't feel perfect and right.

When he pulled her still closer to his hardness, his hands cupping her botto, the mere sound of her faint moan of pleasure broke the spell that her choked protest had not. They both came to their senses and realized what they were doing.... in a public place! They separated at once, swiftly, even though the fiery passion sparking between them was still very intense. Wilkes immediately turned his back on her, fighting for control, his body tense. Nanny stood there panting, her hands clenched as she fought the urge to beg him to ease her frustration by making love to her properly – or improperly, for sure, sure, sure!

Still facing away, Wilkes began, "I'm afraid I have made a dreadful blunder..."

Nanny lost it then. She stormed over to stand directly in front of him, poking her finger repeatedly into his chest as she said, "Yes, I think you DID make a dreadful blunder, Sir Wilkes! How DARE you thrust me away after... after pressing your advantage and.... and kissing me?! And then to have the nerve to attempt to, well, apologize, for Lord's sake! 'ow do you think that makes me feel? First you make me WANT you, then you say it was all a blunder, and now you don't want to have anything to do with me? Well, let me tell you...."

Wilkes had feebly attempted to stem the flow of her rhetoric, but as she continued to speak in a low, intense voice, his eyes locked on her animated face and flashing blue eyes. "Magnificent..." he murmured at last, "Simply magnificent!"

Stopping midword, Nanny glared at him suspiciously. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

For answer, he took hold of her hand which was still resting on his chest, and brought it to his lips. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open as he pressed a series of kisses on the back of her hand before turning it over to kiss the palm as well. He tried to look properly contrite, but didn't quite manage it. She attempted to free her hand, but he held it fast.

Nanny began to wonder if the air in the elevator had gone bad and Sir Wilkes was being affected by it. Her eyes wandered to the dog who was actually snoring now. Some chaperone WEENIE was turning out to be, for Lord's sake! "Honestly, Sir Wilkes, I...."

"Yes?" he asked, gazing at her intently.

"E-Eloise said... Eloise said your 'eart was broken when your sweetheart died the day before your wedding long ago..." Nanny blurted out, then blushed. Honestly, now SHE was being affected by the air in here! Why on earth was she talking about THAT, for Lord's sake?

He raised his eyebrows, still holding her hand fast. "How remarkable! I mean, for such a small child... Where would she have heard a story like that?"

Nanny felt her face burning. Oh my Lord, she should have known Eloise did not have the story straight! "Oh, Sir Wilkes, I cannot apologize enough..."

He smiled. "Tosh, tosh, tosh. Actually, I'm relieved. From the scraps that I overheard, I thought I was supposed to have been left at the altar because I wasn't rich enough for the young woman.... Nanny, the truth is that I, you know, WAS betrothed long ago... but it was a mutual decision to call off the wedding... Did you really think my heart was broken, Nanny? Did I kiss you as if I were wishing you were, you know, my old, er, flame?"

When she didn't seem able to answer, he kissed her hand again, then said in a husky voice, "Shall we start again, Nanny? Perhaps from the part where we were just discovering how much you and I enjoyed kissing each other?" He leaned closer, not taking his eyes off hers.

"Aoww, my... sainted... Aunt... Fanny..." Nanny breathed, then closed her eyes as his lips covered hers once more.

Need tangled with her doubts, but it was no contest. Yearning, craving, longing and, yes, love swelled inside her and pushed out everything but this man. When the kiss deepened, Nanny quickly slide into an all-consuming heat. Her arms locked around his neck and small sounds of pleasure escaped her, which seemed to fuel his passion.

"I WANT you..." Wilkes' voice was ragged and hoarse, but sounded like music to her ears. "Do... do you think you might...?"

Nanny smiled against his lips as she pressed against his very obvious desire, and breathed, "Do you really not know how much I want YOU?"

His kiss deepened again, and fire coiled in her belly, spreading outward and growing, fueling the frantic need inside her. "Aoww, Willy..." she panted, grinding her hips into his.

"Nanny?" Wilkes asked huskily, trying to catch his breath even as he moved from her lips to kiss her cheek, ear and throat again.

"Mmmm?" She arched her neck, tacitly permitting his lips to lightly caress the throbbing pulse point by her throat.

"Marry me, Nanny? Marry me.... soon?"

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dashed over her. Nanny jerked away from him. "Naoww! Oh my Lord, Sir Wilkes! Naoww, I can't, can't, CAN'T!"

There was no place to go to escape him in the elevator. Soon she was trapped in his arms once more, responding passionately to his kisses and caresses. Then, when she was clinging to him and panting heavily, he spoke again. "You MUST marry me, Nanny! We simply cannot keep meeting clandestinely to kiss, always in fear of being caught... never being able to consummate our love! Marry me, Nanny, and let me love you as I want to love you.... as you deserve to be loved...."

"Aoww, Willy, I... I can't...." she faltered.

He ruthlessly stepped up his assault on her senses and she caught her breath, aghast at his effrontery. "You must marry me, Nanny... you must take pity on me... you must..."

"Sir Wilkes? Nanny? Max here!" Suddenly the intercom crackled to life again. "We'll have you out of there in about five minutes!"

"Oh my LORD!" the two exclaimed, united in their frustration. Both breathing heavily, their hearts pounding in unison, Nanny and Wilkes rested their foreheads on each other's while they tried to bring their bodies back under control. Nanny inwardly groaned as she felt her lips and the skin around her mouth stinging fiercely again. What would Eloise say about her rash NOW, for Lord's sake?

"You'll.... marry me.... Nanny?" Wilkes asked at last. "Please? Er, today, if possible?" Weenie, who had been sleeping the entire time they had been in the elevator, chose this time to wake up and bark once. Wilkes looked over at the dog. "I didn't ask YOU... I was speaking to Nanny!"

Nanny chuckled, then capitulated. "Yes, Willy.... yes, I will marry you.... today, if possible."

O o O o O o

It was not possible to get married that day. In fact, they had to wait two days before they could finalize their wedding plans. Nanny, after their time trapped in the elevator, wondered if she would survive the wait. Wilkes, who was spending most of his time in the suite with Nanny, Kay and Eloise, did not seem to be faring any better. They were both longing for the time they could be together, and time had never seemed to go so slowly. Eloise spent HER time fretting that Nanny's face rash didn't seem to be clearing up very fast... indeed, had been WORSE... and talking frequently to Max, who had reverted to his usual taciturn self where the little girl was concerned.

Max was strutting around the Plaza as if it was his plan and his plan alone that had been the deciding factor in the sudden, somewhat unexpected nuptials, although he was still very careful to not let on that there had never been a thing wrong with the elevator. Eloise, having heard about the breakdown of the elevator, tried hard to pump him for information, and finally said sulkily to her mother that she really, really, REALLY hated it when Max pretended she wasn't even there.

Finally, however, it was the morning of the wedding. Nanny and Eloise sang their usual morning song as they got ready, Kay watching and trying to hide the tears in her eyes, knowing that the two 'mostly companions' would BOTH miss this time of the day. Still, Kay was very happy for Nanny.

Eloise departed on her morning rounds, and Nanny said she had to slip over to Wilkes' suite with some of her clothing. Kay nodded, saying she was going out for some last minute things, and they agreed to meet for lunch in the Rose Room.

Nanny hurried down the hall to Wilkes' suite, and when he opened the door for her, she stepped in, suddenly shy. "Willy, I.... just brought some things..."

"Please, come in, Nanny!" He closed the door behind her, then took the suitcases from her. "This way to the bedroom...."

She followed him, and stopped in the doorway, her eyes wide as she looked around the room. The bed was neatly made.... and vases of red roses covered every surface in the room. "Aoww, my LORD!"

"Eloise said you preferred roses.... and that I had to get them because I was wooing you," Wilkes said, somewhat embarrassed.

Nanny, however, turned to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, KNICKERS, Willy, I love, love, LOVE you!"

They kissed.... and kissed.... and kissed some more. Their desire mounted alarmingly, and then it was clear that they were about to consummate their love BEFORE they actually said their vows. Neither even thought about that.... they were much too engrossed in one another and in the hot emotions sizzling between them. They undressed hurriedly and Wilkes drew Nanny over to the bed, his lips closing over hers.

Then Nanny stiffened a little. Had she lost her mind? She HAD! She tried to twist away, to escape the inevitable, but it was much too late... much, much, much. "Aoww, no, Willy.... no, no, no... oh my Lord... I.... I can't..."

He had gone very still at the first sign of her resistance, but it was too late for him as well. He groaned, "I'm sorry, my love, but... I can't stop..." Then he began coaxing her soothingly with his voice as he spoke against her trembling lips, "Let me make it happen, my love. There is no 'I', just 'we'... 'we' can.... 'we' will... go with me, Nanny..." He rocked against her slowly and carefully, and very soon she had relaxed enough that her resistance was gone.

"Willy.... aoww my Lord, Willy.... aoww, yes, this is..." Her voice was suddenly filled with wonder and instead of fighting him, she began to move with him, her fear dissolving as the pleasure grew.

"It will be," he promised thickly. "It will be, Nanny..."

The breath left her lungs in a loud gust as he began to move, holding her hips and murmuring her name thickly. Their world shrank until they were caught up in the paroxysm of love that exploded over them both. For several minutes, he continued to lie on her, until their heartbeats and breathing slowed somewhat. Then he rolled to one side and Nanny curled into him, her arm over him and his around her. They gradually relaxed, satiated for the moment.

"Willy?" Nanny asked hesitantly at last, in a small voice.

"Hmmm?" He didn't trust himself to speak without his voice breaking, he was so happy. Nanny was HIS! Then suddenly he was afraid. What if.... what if she NOW decided that, like his betrothed so long ago, she really did not want to tie herself to HIM? After all, Nanny was so exuberant, so lively, so vivacious, and he was, well.... boring....

"I.... I don't think I can live without you, for sure, sure, sure... Not ever again." she admitted quietly, getting up on her elbow to look into his loving brown eyes. She watched satisfaction, male and primitive, flare in his eyes, mingled with a tenderness that almost stopped her heart.

"Nor I you, my love..." and he drew her down to kiss her passionately once more. "We'll be married tonight, though, so we'll never have to be alone again!"

"Mmmhmmm, married tonight. And I do, do, DO like the thought of never being alone again," she murmured, holding him tightly.

"KNICKERS, Nanny!" he groaned. "I love, love, LOVE you!"

THE END


End file.
